I have read lots of your reviews and comments but you have got me.

Would you do me a favour and summarise your experiences, favourites and desire - in SUPping

thx

?? I'm not sure what you mean mate?

I have noticed you have a lot of experience and while you are heavier than me you seem to like experimenting and as such you would have a lot to pass on.

I also have Naish Hokua's (9 and 8 5) and now considering the 8' 10" Hokua LE 2014, however you explore much wider than me.

This is why I would be interested in a summary of your experiences and findings.

thanks

W

Ok sure. I'd be happy to tell you a bit about my findings. Just wasn't sure what you meant by "You got me"

Like most SUPers I started out with the intention of using a SUP for flat water paddling only & got myself an 11'6 Chinese behemoth that weighed as much as a small car. Shortly after I began venturing into small waves & found that it surfed like a house brick, which then got me looking into better designed boards that are more geared toward surfing.

Enter the 11'6 Nalu

Compared to the Great Wall of China that I began on, the Naish surfed fantastic. I found myself leaving the longboards at home more often in favour of the Nalu & was having an absolute ball. I got quite confident & competent on that board & was taking on bigger waves than I ever did on prone boards.

Shortly after I got a Starby 9'5 Widepoint. It took me quite a while to get use to such a small SUP(small in comparison to 11'6) but once I did, I started frothing heavily for this new sport.

From there, the journey of boards went like this:

2012 Starby 9'8 Pro AST
Starby 11'2 Blend
9'6 PSH Hull Ripper
C4 9'8 Raimana
11'4 Nalu(which I still have, its a keeper)
Hokua 9'10 GT
Hokua 9'0 GT
C4 MR Pro
& currently
JP 9'2 Pro, JP 8'10 Pro, PSH 12' Gun

During this time I sold all my longboards & now only ride SUP. I have also gotten in to the racing side & am keenly awaiting the arrival of a new Naish Glide 14 GX.

As you can see by the list, I have a bit of an OCD when it comes to this sport which I absolutely love! I have learned alot from riding all these boards in terms of rocker, rail shape & thickness, outline, deck shape & thickness & How it all effects stability, glide, turning ability of a board for a bloke my size & then ultimately, what I look for & like in a board. I also feel that riding so many different boards has helped improve my surfing ability much quicker than if I'd sticked to just one or 2 boards over the same time period.

To me, SUP board design is still pretty much in an infancy type stage which I find pretty cool & exciting. To be able to see how the boards evolve from one year to the next from the top riders feedback is awesome!

I love this forum too. Have learned a hell of alot just by reading what all the other breezoids get up to & it keeps me stoked!

If all goes to plan, i'll be entering the Molokai 3 man team division with 2 mates who also get on the Breeze. If it wasn't for Seabreeze, I'd probably never even have contemplated it.

So, I hope that little rant is what you wanted mate. I know I had fun sharing.

Yew!!!

Zeusman, thanks that's just what I was after.

I have also been considering a Nalu, maybe a 10 65 GT for my weight - 76 kg, with the idea it could suit mostly flat water as I love my Hokuas but could also use it in fuller wave surf days.

How would you rate the Hokuas with your JPs for performance on waves and stability while waiting for a wave? I can only assume you prefer the JPs however I would like some review please.

Personally, I've found the performance of the JP boards just as good, if not better than the Hokua boards.

They're certainly lighter & far more stable than the 9'0 Hokua. I can sit out the back on my 8'10 JP in choppy/windy conditions & never fall off. The 9'0 Hokua I could only really handle in near perfect glass. Even then I had to keep paddling around to stay upright.

The only thing that I consider a drawback is the fact the JP boards only come with only three fin boxes. I really think they should be made with five boxes. I loved riding the Hokuas with a five fin setup. The 9'0 i rode with K2 quads & a Knubster fin in the center.

Re the Nalu did you use it as a flat water board and surf.

If for flat water how was it for general touring?

Nalu I only really use in the surf or to teach friends. I use a 14' for flat water.

Hey Zeusman

Is there a big difference in terms of stability between the 9'2 and 8'10 Jp surf? Have heard that they are quite similar.
Man , you go through boards! Love it.

Thanks
LouD

The difference in stability I found to be marginal. The difference in glide & looseness is more noticable.

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Zeusman said..
Starby 11'2 Blend
9'6 PSH Hull Ripper
C4 9'8 Raimana
11'4 Nalu(which I still have, its a keeper)

Hey zeusman, my first (and existing) sup is the 11'4 Nalu, but at the time I was really torn between this one and the 11'2 Blend. Having nothing to compare it to, I reckon the 11'4 Nalu has been great, but always wondered... I think you've answered my question there. Nice one.

How's the Nalu in bigger fatter waves? Considering the 10 6 for smaller to head high fatter beach days - I need to paddle a fair wee bit along a long bay to choose the best spots. I'm 90kg so on the limit for one but reckon they are a nice shape.

Hey Slab

The 10'6 will handle 90kegs easy! I've ridden it & I'm 105. Fantastic in fatter stuff & very easy to stand on for long periods. They paddle extremely well!

Zeusman,

Have you considered custom SUPS?

To be honest, I haven't. Maybe I should. Are you considering a custom yourself?

Well I have an idea of what I would like and will be visiting a custom board guy very soon for in depth discussion.

From what I have established there is more flexibility to meet needs plus boards are much lighter, time will tell.

Cool! Let me know how it goes.

Zeusman... nicely played!
Great overview topic... informative.... I'm enjoying the read.

Thanx Supthecreek.

Ok I'm going custom!

All the boards I've owned so far, liked some things about them but not other things. (Like the thickness & rocker but not the width & tail, or like the glide & the way it surfs but not the rolled deck & lack of stability). So it makes sense to put all the elements I have liked about different boards into the one board.

Been talking with a couple of people & tossing ideas around & decided to do it. Looking at 9'0 by 29.5, 4" thick flat deck,single in to double & V through the tail. Fairly fine rails & a squash or rounded pin tail. It's gonna take some time but I'm frothing already.

Sounds along the lines of my requirements.

What rocker do you have in mind?

Not sure about rocker. Need to talk with the shaper.

Zeus, glad to see a bloke that has gone through a heap of boards/ Like you started on the Titanic, still have it as a wall decoration! On my third surf SUP and learning plenty from the JP. I added a 5th fin box so can go quad or thruster. Amazing how it opens the board up to different conditions.Good to read your experience, when you go the customer, consider the 5 boxes!;)

Oh it'll definitely have 5 boxes. I'm actually a fan of a quad setup with a nubster in the centre.

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Zeusman said..

Oh it'll definitely have 5 boxes. I'm actually a fan of a quad setup with a nubster in the centre.

you are going to need a bigger house.....!

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camharvey said...

Zeusman said..

Oh it'll definitely have 5 boxes. I'm actually a fan of a quad setup with a nubster in the centre.

you are going to need a bigger house.....!

Nah Cam I got it sorted.

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Zeusman said...
Oh it'll definitely have 5 boxes. I'm actually a fan of a quad setup with a nubster in the centre.

Zeusman, it was your description of using the hokua 9'10" with the nubster that inspired me to buy some new fins yesterday. Got a set of FCS SA-2 quads and a nubster.

No waves yesterday unfortunately so will have to get out soon.

Will be the first time ever on a quad as I've always ridden either thrusters or 2+1.

Cool. Let me know how it goes.

My 2014 Starby 9'8 Pro Brushed Carbon arrived today. The board looks fantastic! The brushed carbon & green rails & tail really pop. The rocker looks good with a nice bit of nose flip that I'm sure will save me from nose diving on late drops. It's nice & light which is great......... Because the handle is in the wrong place..........! As soon as I picked it up, with no fins or leash on it, the board dropped straight on to its tail. Now I've owned a 2012 9'8 in AST construction & the handle was in the correct place. I can't understand how one of the biggest brands in the sport can let a mistake like this happen, especially when they had it right in the first place!? I've had three boards in the past with this problem & it gets old quickly!! Haven't ridden it yet but will update when I do.